Permission To Stop

Most of what we call rest is not really rest. Scrolling, watching TV, lying down while the mind keeps moving: the nervous system stays active throughout. This practice creates a different kind of pause, one in which the body is genuinely invited to settle.

In this practice, Ella Mills guides a body-based breath awareness meditation, beginning with physical grounding through points of contact with the surface beneath you, then moving into a gentle noticing of the breath at the nose, the chest, the ribs, and the belly. The session includes a releasing breath technique and closes with hands on heart and belly, inviting a few quiet moments to feel what it is like to simply stop.

Music credit: The Power Of Music by Tim Yatras.

Transcript

Welcome to day one of the Burnout and Exhaustion Challenge here on Insight Timer. So many of us are always available, Never switching off and never saying no. This challenge is a chance to remind your body what stopping actually feels like. Let's jump in to today's session. Hello and welcome to day one of the burnout and exhaustion challenge. I'm Ella Mills and I'll be taking us through our first meditation. Now you are not alone in this. So many of us know the feeling of being completely drained, Totally depleted. I've cycled through burnout before and it's actually what led me to these healing meditation practices as I saw ways to truly feel better and to really rest my mind, My body. Because I think often when we think about resting these days, We're actually scrolling or we're watching TV rather than really letting our bodies, Our nervous systems recover and delve deep into a rest and digest state. So that's what we'll do over the next 10 days. We're gonna really stop and we're going to guide ourselves into this true state of rest. Each day you'll get a short practice from one of the teachers, Meditations, Breath work, Work with our bodies. It will take you long. You don't need any prior experience. We're not here to try and be perfect or perfect anything. All you have to do is show up exactly as you are and truly give yourself permission to rest. So on that note, Get yourself really comfortable. You can sit down, You can lie down, Whichever feels better. But when you find that spot, Just gently begin to close your eyes. And just start to come into the mind, The body. As we give ourselves permission to stop today. To gently become aware of your physical body. Just noticing the points of contact between your body and whatever you're resting on, The chair, The sofa, Your bed. As though you can sink down into it, Like you can almost melt into it. Just notice the sitting bones and where they make contact. Can you let them get a little heavier? Maybe the soles of the feet on the floor, The center being held, Grounded. Maybe you can feel the breath in your back as you just lay back, Sit back. Like you're inviting ease into the body. And with that, Just gently become aware of the breath in the body. Where do you feel it first? Maybe it's the gentle flow of air at the tip of your nose. Just noticing how that feels as it slowly comes in and out. Maybe noticing the soft rise and fall of your chest. How your ribs slowly expand. And deflate. How your belly gently moves as you breathe. And we're not trying to change or control the breath, Just to notice it. Connect with air. Like the breath can help us invite this ease, This stillness, This quiet into our body. And as we invite this sense of peace, Can we soften? What can you let go of? Just notice if there's anywhere you're gripping, Holding on, Knowing you don't need to do that right now. So K to stop. To just be exactly as we are right now. Can you soften the jaw? Maybe you can let the tongue go from the roof of the mouth. Relaxing the muscles around the eyes, The eyebrows, The forehead. Your whole face be soft. And letting that softness wash all the way over your face into the crown of your head. Down your neck into your shoulders. Let the shoulders be soft. Let them drop away from your ears. And letting that softness wash all over your body. And your belly be soft just anywhere that you're holding on. Let yourself let go. You have nowhere to be, Nothing to do right now. Just be. As though every breath you take is inviting ease, Peace into the body. Every inhale lets you open. In every exhale, Can you let yourself soften, Sink, Melt a little deeper? Just knowing it's okay to stop. If your mind is wondering, It's completely normal. You're not doing anything wrong. Can label the thoughts thinking. And just come back to that steady rise and fall of the breath. Letting the breath just slowly wash over you. As you notice how it gently moves the chest, The ribs, The belly. And let's take a releasing breath together. So as you inhale, Inhale all the way up the spine like you're really filling the body with this peace. And at the top of your inhale, Open your mouth and let it go. Hmmmm. . . If it felt good, You can do that one more time. Really feeling the body. And once you get to the top, Open your mouth and let it all go. Hmmmm. Maybe placing your left hand on your heart, Your right hand on the belly. And breathe into the body as you just notice how it's felt to have a few minutes of quiet. And just thanking yourself for taking this time for you. And even if your mind kept moving, If it was busy, That's okay. You were here, Your body was here. And that's what this is all about. A curiosity, Just trying, Seeing one day at a time what it feels like to let ourselves just be, To really stop. So thank you for joining me today. It's been a pleasure. And tomorrow on day two, The practice will help you begin to notice where exhaustion has been living in your body. And if you have time, We'd love to hear from you. How did it feel to stop, Even just for a short moment? Come and chat with us in the community, In the forum. Have a beautiful day.

Reviews

Very relaxing. Thank you.

came back to it after the Insight Timer exhaustion and burnout challenge; it was very nice and soothing. Enjoyed your guidance and British accent … thak you Ella 🙏

Thank you very much. I am deeply grateful to you 🌻🙏😌

This teacher is so lovely. Permission to stop. Funny how we need that, but I certainly do! Thank you kindly!

Lovely ❤️